A Fete Worse Than Death
The Fete Worse Than Death layout was built in 2008 to provide a 'Drive-a-Train' stall at some local events. It is unashamedly a train set rather than a model railway - and suits its purpose admirably.
Oddly enough there is some more advanced modelling on this layout than there is on Shake-the-Box as it used both card and plastic kits. So what is the difference between a train set and a model railway?
For me it is the attempt to create a realistic representation of a railway - ideally in a scenic setting. This doesn't mean that everything has to be perfectly to scale, crafted to perfection or even accurate to the period portrayed. You could describe a model railway as an art form, like a painting, sculpture or film.
With the 2009 Fete season approaching I shall need to refurbish this layout and get it ready for more fun at the fair. If you are organising a charity event in the Shrewsbury or Telford area and would like the layout and accompanying card stall to attend drop me an email using the contact form. All takings from the layout and 10% of the card stall takings are donated to the charity concerned. The card stall is my wife's - examples are on her website.
And here is the 2009 configuration. I have used radius 2 & 3 curves in place of 1 & 2 to cater for high speed running and removed the points as they tended to be a cause of derailments (especially when travelling full speed in reverse) and endless requests to 'make it go that way'.
The layout out doing its thing.